Never Been Kissed
by em38
Summary: It's Lily's 17th Birthday and she's STILL never been kissed. This not-really-that-minor and actually-quite-embarrassing-fact is something she'd prefer to keep quiet-and remedy as soon as humanly possible. After all, she is 17 now! Maybe she'll find someone who can help with that—maybe not. L/J. Fluff is complimentary. Please R/R! Flames welcome. Rated 'M' for future chapters.


Summary: It's Lily's 17th Birthday and she's still never been kissed. Maybe she'll find someone who can help with that—maybe not. My story of how Lily and James get together. Fluff is complimentary. Please R/R! Flames welcome.

A/N: Wow. It's definitely been a long time since I've contributed anything to the fabulous world of the HP fanfiction community…forgive me for my absence and any shortcomings that may appear in this story as a result. This fanfic was inspired by the rambling thoughts of my sixteen-year-old self. The marginally-more-mature 'moi' has now put them on paper for my marvelous readers (you!) to read and critique as you wish. So! Any reviews are VERY MUCH APPRECIATED! Thanks and enjoy (hopefully) the read!

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I was J.K Rowling…I am not. Maybe in my next life I'll be lucky enough to claim that title…

**Never Been Kissed**

**Chapter One: The Old Willow Tree**

Lily's head blurred as she wove her way through the raucous crowd of Gryffindors towards the portrait hall.

"Happy Birthday Lily!"

"Great party Lils!"

Lily turned to smile blearily in the general direction of the calls. They'd returned to the party before Lily had even acknowledged them. _Thanks for caring_, she thought sarcastically.

Lily sighed, continuing on, her head still buzzing. It'd been a great party—Alice and Emmeline had surprised her with it—but it'd gone crazy, what with all the party crashers. The punch, which Em had spiked with the firewhiskey, hadn't helped the commotion either. All in all, what had supposed to be a laid-back party for Lily's seventeenth birthday, with only the Gryffindor sixth years, had turned into a huge, crowded cacophony that Lily was too tired to deal with. After all, she wasn't interested in watching drunken couples song their way into oblivion all over the Gryffindor common room. No, after cake, there wasn't anything left for her at the party and Lily decided to flee the scene when Alice and Em weren't watching. She, like any witch who had just come of age, needed to sort out the jumble of thoughts and emotions cluttering around in her mind.

Checking the corridors for professors as she climbed out the portrait hole, Lily quickly muttered a disillusionment charm. _Thank God I only drank a little of the punch_, she thought. There was no way that drunk, she would have been able to perform the spell—it required enough concentration as it was.

Thinking this, Lily headed down the hallway, keeping her eyes out for Peeves, Filch, or Mrs. Norris. Without really thinking about where she was going, Lily headed down the staircase towards the Great Hall. At the last minute, she decided to head out towards the lake.

_I'm a prefect_, she reasoned. _I can just say I'm patrolling. Besides, no one can see me because of the spell anyway._

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a little voice told her that this was a very un-Lily-like way of thinking, but whether because of the punch, or some deep inner desire to be a rebel for once, she pushed away the voice and chose to ignore whatever misgivings she had.

Everything was dark as Lily headed towards the lake. Except for the twinkle of stars, and the soft glow of the moon, the night was as black as a raven's wing. Lily could almost taste the sweetness of the cool night air, like a promise of summer yet-to-come. The soft thrum of crickets countered the light buzz of her oncoming headache. Fireflies danced across the surface of the lake, joining the stars in creating a light-speckled reflection—the mirage of an endless night sky.

Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the calm splendor, before settling at the base of an old knotted willow tree. As the long branches of the willow tree creaked softly, blowing around her and hiding her in her own little alcove, Lily smiled softly, completely at ease.

-XXX-

_An Hour Earlier:_

James craned his neck to see Lily. She was hard to find among the crowd, but this was James—his 'Lily-Radar,' as Sirius called it, led him to immediately focus on the center of the Common Room, which had been cleared out to form a dance floor. There she was—right where he had known she would be. James watched the light catch Lily's hair, creating a soft halo around her head, as she danced with Alice and Emmeline—so carefree and blissful. James loved that about her, how she managed to find joy no matter what was going on outside the castle walls. James couldn't explain it but Lily's inner fire drew him like a moth—it enthralled him and captivated him even when his mind was telling him it was so much easier for him just to stop liking her.

Lately though, James wanted more. He wanted to talk to Lily without her yelling at him. He wanted to be someone she could freely smile at. He wanted to earn her respect. He wanted to be Lily's friend. Her good friend. Only trouble was, James had no idea how to go about it.

James looked over at Lily's dancing figure, frowning. He'd wanted to wish her a "Happy Birthday," but now, surrounded by so many people, so many other well-wishers, it didn't seem right. It wasn't special—it wasn't memorable.

James looked around the room. There were people dancing. Some, like Lily, danced with energy and skill. Others had opted for less graceful but more 'contact-heavy' styles of dancing. If not dancing, people were chatting, enjoying the food, and making conversation. Remus had left—probably snuck up to the dormitory to study, Peter in tow. There was Sirius, snogging furiously with his current week-long fling. James sighed, he wasn't enjoying himself. Usually the life of the party, something just didn't click for him tonight.

James quietly slipped behind a corner, unnoticed, and threw his invisibility cloak over his head. As he glanced back at Lily one last time, he could have sworn her emerald eyes met his for a split second—but that was impossible, he told himself. After all, he _was_ under his cloak. Shrugging off the butterflies in his stomach, James headed out of the Portrait Hole.

Quickly pulling out the Map, James scanned the hallways for the usual suspects—Mrs. Norris, especially, had a suspicious knack for sniffing James out, no matter where he was. Seeing that the halls were clear, James headed down to the grounds, towards the Lake. Breathing in the soft night air, James felt his muscles relaxing—releasing tension he hadn't even realized was there until it was gone. Knowing exactly where he was going, James headed towards the old willow tree, a favorite spot of his and the rest of the Marauders.

James clambered up the tree, his clothing catching on the rough bark, until he reached his favorite spot. It was a cradle-like branch, stronger than it looked, from which he had secretly crafted himself a hammock. Not even Sirius knew it was there, it was so well disguised. James let out a deep breath, looking up through the branches of the willow, at the sky. There was nothing between him and the stars except a few wispy clouds. This was his spot. His secret hideout. The gentle swaying of the branches, the honey-like warm air, and the soft whispering of the leaves lulled James into a peaceful dreamless sleep.

He didn't even notice, a while later, when a pattering of steps headed out from the castle and stopped under his tree. James was too far gone to notice the person seated right underneath him, sharing in the stillness of the night.

-XXX-


End file.
